Metro fighting uphill battle over streetlights as more than 7 000 remain non-functional

Streetlights continue to be a major issue for Centurion residents, as the metro battles to make headway on a growing list of areas left in the dark.

The metro acknowledged that the list is growing, and points to cable theft and vandalism at rates that it cannot keep up with.

Dark streets are not only a concern for motorists, but residents say they leave them vulnerable to crime.

Johan Botha, estate manager at Amberfield Valley Estate, recently told Rekord that the darkened streets bring a high security cost, as the estate, and others in Rooihuiskraal North, pay the difference to protect their residents.

“It is extremely dark at night from where you turn in from Lenchen [Avenue], right to the school [Amberfield College],” he said.

“In this street [Capensis Avenue], we have had hijackings, twice we have had spiking in the road, we have had several armed robberies, and in one case, a guy was shot in the leg.”

In response, the estate teamed up with another one in the area, and paid for its own security patrols at night, while guards were stationed outside the entrance to keep those using public transport safe.

“Our responsibility is supposed to be the estate, and all the rest is supposed to be the responsibility of the city.”

Botha said the struggle is far from new, as the estate has been battling for about two years to get attention for the streetlight issue and general condition of Capensis Avenue.

“They don’t cut the grass, they don’t pick up the litter, they do absolutely nothing. What you see here is the work of two estates to make it safe for our people, and to not have an eyesore that could affect the value of what we have at the estate.”

Botha said the estate has also tried to engage the metro on unsafe roads that are not clearly marked, as well as the lack of an intersection at the entrance to the estate that has resulted in frustrating traffic jams in the mornings.

Botha’s story is not the only one in Centurion, as several estates and residents from across the region have spoken to Rekord about similar complaints.

In July, the metro said there were about 6,900 streetlights reported as faulty across Region 4 of the city.

City spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo said the most recent numbers show there are 7,524 non-functional streetlights.

Mashigo said the metro has dedicated three teams of electricians to focus on streetlight repairs.

“The dedicated team has started with the attendance of the backlog of the streetlights that were reported on the SAP system.”

He noted that the figures include duplicated complaints “due to delayed turn-around.”

The metro’s data show that most of the reported streetlights have been vandalised or targeted by thieves.

Furthermore, many of the lights have had their inspection covers stolen, giving criminals easy access to the cables supplying the streetlights.

“Thus, the gains of streetlight maintenance are always regressing due to acts of theft and vandalism,” said Mashigo.

“Progress is painfully slow because in some areas the team has to replace the entire network due to vandalism which is time-consuming.”

He shared the deployment schedule of three streetlight teams for August that showed the teams worked on 54 complaints for the month, sometimes addressing multiple streets in an area.

Meanwhile, Corporate and Shared Services MMC, Dana Wannenburg, said the metro is expecting to add 80 cherrypickers to its fleet by November/December.

“The addition of the cherry pickers will dramatically improve the city’s ability to maintain and repair streetlights and electricity infrastructure, ensuring safer, well-lit streets for all residents,” he said.

The metro recently awarded lease tenders for the pickers that are used for streetlight repairs, power infrastructures and tree cutting.

“By expanding our fleet, we can respond to service requests more quickly, reducing waiting times for infrastructure repairs, especially in critical areas such as electricity outages and public lighting.”

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